You put your mind to it, you can come up with a lot of creative ideas for using everyday things and items you usually throw away in new and interesting ways. For example, did you know you can use Popsicle sticks to make decorations for your home. And not just that. There are lots of cool things you can make with these simple items.

You can either collect these sticks from the ice cream you buy or you can buy a bag from the store. Put a bunch together and make a cute little tray which you can use as a jewelry storage container or for all sorts of other things. First you make the base. Glue several sticks together for this part. Then start building the walls by gluing the edges of the sticks together as you see in the picture.

Check out ikatbat for a bunch of similar ideas. The boxes featured here are all made using Popsicle sticks and they have different sizes, shapes and designs. One is quite colorful and you can use that as inspiration for your next DIY project.

Another DIY basket made of Popsicle sticks is featured on instructables. This time the design is a bit more complex so be sure to read the instructions. You’ll need a bunch of craft sticks and some glue. Start with a hexagon shape and continue from there.

So what could you use these cute little boxes for? Well, a lovely idea would be to turn one into a bird feeder. The idea came from tonyastaab. This cute bird feeder even has a ledge for the birds to land on. You can hang it with rope from a tree in your back yard.

Popsicle sticks make perfect labels for your potted plants. Basically you just have to use a marker to write the name of the plant on the stick but first you can customize it with a little bit of paint or some washi tape. {ohsolovelyvintage}.

Turn your mantel or desk into a mini museum display. You can make tiny frames for tiny art using Popsicle sticks. For each frame you need two larger sticks and two smaller ones. Glue the ends of three sticks together using a piece of cardstock, then add the smaller one across two of them. This will be the frame on which to display your tiny art. Find more details on ikatbag}

If you like artistic projects, check out the one described on homedeco2u. It’s a geometrical display you can use for tea candles. To make one you need craft sticks (more than 60) and hot glue. Start with a basic triangle shape. Do a few more of these and then start connecting them in a hexagonal shape. Continue by following the instructions on the site.

Another interesting project is the sunburst mirror frame made of Popsicle sticks featured on Thehappierhomemaker. For the frame form you can use an old clock. Remove the glass and replace it with a mirror that fits inside. Or you can come up with a different idea depending on what you already have in your home. You then have to glue the sticks to the back of the frame. Group them up or come up with your own unique design.

Something simple and useful you can make using Popsicle sticks is a coaster. You can make them look like mini pallets or you can come up with your own design. You can find some inspiration for this project on Cookinglikelou. Each coaster uses 14 sticks.

Decorating with Popsicle sticks is fun and easy. There are a lot of cool and interesting things you can make with them. You can find a few ideas on allputtogether. The projects featured here include a runner for a table centerpiece and a wall decoration.

On thecheesethief we found a very chic project featuring Popsicle sticks. For this to work you’ll have to steam the sticks so you can bend them and insert them in a cylindrical glass vase. Arrange them in a spiraling pattern. You can paint or stain them if you want a specific look.

For Halloween, you can make Popsicle stick pumpkin door hangers. Each hanger uses 13 sticks and a pipe cleaner. Paint the sticks orange and, after you glue them together, decorate the pumpkin with vinyl to give it a face. The pipe cleaner will be the hanger. {found on thesuburbanmom}.

When you’re ready to try something a bit more complex, check out the Popsicle stick chandelier featured on boredandcrafty. It has three layers and it uses embroidery hoops of three different sizes. You can paint the sticks any color you want so the chandelier matches your décor. You can also decorate them and give them patterns using washi tape or paint of several different colors.